10 Books Ella Currently Loves: Spring Edition
Ella is now 20 months old (my baby! the time! etc) and she loves books. If you dropped by our house unexpectedly, you would almost certainly find giant stacks of her books on the couch, near the rocker in her room, next to my bed, and outside her bedroom door.
These are ten books that are currently in heavy rotation. Every one of these books is finished to the word “Again!”
Spring Picture Books
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Bart pointed out to me that this is one of the only children’s books that casts industrialism in a positive light. Maybe he should have gone to library school instead of me.
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter
Y’all, this book is weird. Domestic violence, neglectful rabbit parents – I can hardly believe I read this book to my child.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
I have loved this book all my life. It’s a bit on the text-heavy side and I’m amazed that Ella will sit quietly through the whole thing. We need to replace our copy because so many pages have fallen out.
Pouch! by David Ezra Stein
My favorite of her recent book loves. The illustrations are sweet and happy, there are animals to find hidden away, and the text is cute and brief.
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes
This is a wonderful non-fiction book. Ella loves pointing out the animals, and I love the concise text, and the rich colors. An absolute winner.
The Jolly Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg
What child DOESN’T love pulling little letters out of envelopes? Of course nearly all the envelopes have tears in them now.
Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships by Catherine Thimmesh
This is a book that I don’t really care for much, but Ella loves and has loved for many many months. Each photograph of two unlikely animal friendships is accompanied by a mega-cheesy verse. Ah, well.
Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown
This is one catchy book. I love the rhythm, the animal sounds, and bright, happy illustrations.
No Two Alike by Keith Baker
This is the sweetest book, with gorgeous illustrations. Ella loves looking for the animals or pointing out the different colors of birds. I laugh a little when we read the end because it says, “Are we the same? Just alike?” and Ella always cries “yes, yes!” even though the text concludes, “Almost, almost, but not quite.”
The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear and Jan Brett
My mom brought this out when Ella was born. It’s a board book she’s owned for years and I love that we now own that old copy.
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I remember reading _Are You My Mother?_ to my little brothers. I love that book! I also love _Blueberries for Sal_. In fact, I think Ella looks a lot like Sal!
The Jolly Postman was my absolute favorite book as a kid! (I still have it. 🙂 I thought the fact that you get to take each letter out and read it was the best thing ever!
Are You My Mother is a great one too!
If you love Blueberries for Sal, you might want to check out McCloskey's One Morning in Maine. It's such a sweet story and we love the illustrations.
The Jolly Postman series is another favorite here. Have you seen the Christmas version? It has an awesome 3D card at the end!
This list just makes me happy. I loved Are You My Mother and Blueberries for Sal growing up! And as soon as I saw the Owl and the Pussycat, I started chanting it, even though I haven't seen it in 20 years (although I didn't get very far)!
I loved Blueberries for Sal growing up!
I love Blueberries for Sal! In fact, my mother has been sending me boxes of my childhood books, and BfS was in the most recent box.
I remember reading the Flopsy Bunnies as a kid… but I don't remember what HAPPENED. I hope to find it in one of the boxes, too, so I can check out all the craziness you speak of!
This is a wonderful list~clearly Blueberries for Sal is a favorite with everyone (those illustrations are stunning). Have you tried Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein – that one is super cute, too.
Wow, great point about _Are You My Mother_, Brad.
We just returned Pouch to the library. Finn and I both really loved that one. I am excited to check out some of the others. Today, I checked out "Llama, llama red pajama." BAD choice. Not good for a sensitive little person who is very attached to his mama. Hopefully, I didn't permanently scar him.
Have you read a lot of Potter? Oh boy, Jemima Puddleduck's tale is a shocker too!
Beatrix Potter is great. All kinds of lessons can be taught/learned from her stories. Do I dare date myself? Are You My Mother came out when I was in the 1st grade. I read it to my brothers, my children, and my grandchildren. It is still a favorite of my 50+ year old baby brother. lol
Did you know there is a Christmas version of The Jolly Postman?! Aurora pretty much obsesses about it the entire month of December of the last three years….just might delight Ella too.
I have to read "Are You My Mother" approximately five million times a day. I hate that book.
What a pretty collection of covers! Blueberries for Sal is such a classic- I am impressed that your little one will listen to it at such a young age! You're giving me some good ideas for books I should try out with my almost-18-month-old… she's just starting to get into books, thank goodness!